Change Overnight
by Rasiaa
Summary: She mutters a little more and then takes another breath and looks at me firmly. "I don't like that you made that decision without me," she says.


_For Snowblazehollyleafstar for monthly exchange. Ron/Hermione, flame, angst._

* * *

She's angry.

I know she's angry-I've been forgetful and she's slipping off the ledge.

"I just need help, Ron," she says, exasperated. She leans down absently to put Rose on her hip when she grabs her mother's blouse. Brushing her hair out of her eyes with her free hand, Hermione kisses Rose's forehead and then looks back to me.

"I know," I agree, trying to figure out how to get out of this one.

"If you know, then why are you just sitting around?" she demands.

"I'm working, Hermione! I'm tired when I get home-"

"I work," she says, her voice dangerously low, and now-oh, now I've fucked up. "I work and I clean and I raise these children. I make more money than you do, Ronald. You'd better think of a better response."

"Daddy," Rose says quietly. Hermione raises her eyebrows, expectant, so I step forward and take her. She burrows close immediately. My chest aches something fierce and Hermione gets a look on her face I've never seen before. Hugo starts to cry in the crib across the room. Hermione closes off abruptly and walks away without a word.

She's on the other side of the room. She's only five steps away.

It feels like she's in another galaxy.

...

"I'm sorry," I murmur, coming up behind her. I gather her hair and hold it loosely so I can kiss her shoulder. It falls in chaotic curls when I let it go. She doesn't turn around, but she leans back a bit so I wrap my arms around her waist.

"You're always sorry, Ron," she says after a while. "You're always, always sorry. When are you going act like it? When is this going to change?"

I lean my cheek against hers. I don't know what answer she's looking for since I know that she knows I'd be lying if I said I would change overnight.

So I stay quiet and she waits. Her patience isn't very long on a good day, lately, and it's not any different now. She sighs, disappointed.

"I'm sorry," I murmur, tightening my hold just slightly.

"Me too," she says, and I don't know what she means by that, and she says nothing more.

We go to bed that night and she lays with her back to me, dressed in full pajamas that she hasn't worn in years, and as close to the edge of the bed as she can get.

The message is clear.

I don't sleep.

...

I tell Harry about it at work.

He looks like he's about had it, these days. He looks like the weight of the world has come back to his shoulders. He hums in appropriate places during my retelling, and I'm not even sure how much he gets from the story.

"I'm just not sure how to fix this," I say, somewhat desperate. I look at Harry and Ginny and they don't have problems like this, so I hope Harry can give some insight.

He looks up and fixes me with a blank stare. "You're joking," he says flatly.

It looks like I should be, given the expression on his face. "Um. No?"

He sighs and puts the quill down. "Ron. You don't live with Molly and Arthur anymore. You can't just expect someone to pick up everything behind you. Hate to say it, mate, but I'm going to side with Hermione on this one. You've always been a messy person, in all these years I've known you, but Hermione isn't."

"Since when do you care about a mess?" I demand, and Harry raises his eyebrows.

"I've been cooking and cleaning since I was old enough to reach a stove and hold a broom. I have, in recent years, come to appreciate Aunt Petunia's meticulous existence. When you have at least three children-usually more, since Teddy is always at my house and where there's Teddy, Miss Victoire is never far behind-point is, when you have so many people making a mess of things, it's simply easier to keep some semblance of peace when it's neater. Less infighting, especially since James has already taken to terrorizing Albus."

"Great Merlin," I mutter, scowling. "I'm-I just want to know how you manage to keep your marriage together? She doesn't even give me the time of day anymore."

Harry blinks in surprise. "I...don't know? Honestly, Ron, that sounds like something you need to fix yourself."

My hopes fall a bit. "You don't have some kind of special secret to a woman's mind or anything?"

Harry snorts, rolling his eyes. He picks up his quill. "Everyone does. It's called asking questions."

Great Godric, that's terrifying.

...

Two days of stony silence later, I walk into Harry's office and announce, "I quit."

Harry doesn't look up from the paperwork for a minute. When he does, he looks like he needs firewhiskey more than he needs air. "You what, mate?"

"I quit," I repeat. I step further into the room and close the door. "I'm no longer an Auror, as of right now."

His face shifts. He looks a bit uncomfortable. "...why?"

I shrug, not entirely sure how to word my thought process.

"Did you talk to Hermione about this?" Harry demands, looking me over.

"...no?"

Harry sighs. "Your funeral," he says eventually. "You can have your job back when you ask for it."

"I won't," I reply, somewhat insulted.

Mr. High and Mighty Head Auror just shakes his head and restarts his dismantling of the paperwork stack on his desk. I frown at him but he doesn't look up again, so I walk out the door.

...

"You did what?!"

Hermione stares at me like she's never met me.

"I quit my job. I just... you were right-you make more money and you need help here, so..."

I'm not sure how to finish the statement. I just look at her. She looks lost, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. After a minute she shakes her head, still dumbfounded. "I have no idea what to say," she replies, blinking. Her eyes dart to the side. "You never cease to amaze me, Ronald."

The words sound okay but her tone is dull. I'm not sure what she's thinking.

"Are you-that is, is this-I mean-" I stutter to a halt as she looks at me again, expectant.

"Is what you did okay?" she guesses. Like always, she read my mind. Nothing new there. She's brilliant like that. I nod and she licks her lips, taking a deep breath. "I mean, it's not like we need your income," she says, more to herself than me. I lean against the wall behind me to wait for her to think this out. "I'm pretty highly ranked in the Ministry... hell, with you being here I could take more hours to replace what you lost..." She hums, biting the inside of her mouth.

She mutters a little more and then takes another breath and looks at me firmly. "I don't like that you made that decision without me," she says.

"It was a bit impulsive," I admit. "I just kept thinking about how you said you worked and cleaned and took care of Rose and Hugo, but you're much better at multitasking so I figured I'd have to lose one of those to take on the rest. Work was the obvious choice."

"You still probably could've done all three."

"I'm not as amazing as you, Hermione," I respond immediately, and her cheek darken the way I haven't seen in a long time. Not since before Hugo was born. Hurriedly, I take her hands and pull her close. "I just want you happy, and you haven't been for a while."

She looks shocked for a brief moment. "I..." For once, words seem to fail her.

I take the opportunity to continue. "Run for Minister, Hermione. I know you want to. Let me work here."

...

"Ron!"

I set Rose down and let her take Hugo to Ginny and Harry, who stand with their kids behind me.

Hermione's bags hit the floor of King's Cross when she reaches me. I hug her close and she throws her arms around my neck. I press a kiss to her hair. She turns her head and kisses me properly, feverishly.

"I can't believe it worked!" Hermione says the moment we break apart. "I can't-oh, Ron, everything's okay, right? Merlin! This is-" She trails off into a series of excited but mostly unintelligible words.

"I'm so proud of you," I tell her. She pauses and calms, looking at me.

"Thanks," she says softly. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Oh, yes you could've," I protest. "Everyone loves you."

She laughs. "The only time you won't take credit when it's due..."

I brush her hair back and cradle her face. "I love you," I tell her.

Hermione stares at me for a moment. "I love you, too, Ronald. Thank you so much."

I kiss her again. It's my sister who eventually breaks the moment, stepping forward and hitting my arm. I turn to look at her, indignant. "Mum has food at the Burrow, you two. Now, I dunno about you, but I'm starving, so we'll go eat with or without you," Ginny says.

"Fine, fine," I say, waving her off. She raises her eyebrows, looking smug, and stalks off to her family. She takes baby Lily from Harry so he can take Hugo's hand. (Hugo always did like Harry more than Ginny, much to my amusement.)

"Come on, you lot-" I hear Ginny, and then tune her out as they walk off.

"We should probably follow," Hermione says, nodding in their direction. James disappears into a green flame and the others are quick to step up after.

I hum. "Yeah, probably." I take her hand and we start to follow. Just as we reach the fireplaces, I stop her and she looks at me, questioning. "Really, Hermione. Congratulations."

"Yeah. Yeah, thank you. I'm blown away by it, actually," she confesses. "I never really thought I'd get this."

"Well, you did," I say. "So let's go celebrate, Minister."

"Minister," she repeats. "I could get used to that."


End file.
